Pedro Couceiro: I enjoy the adrenaline of being on the track without the stress of the results

It’s always there. Everyone knows about it but we hope we never have to see it. We are, of course, talking about the Safety Car. But what do they actually do? The FIA World Endurance championship has just presented their new Porsche 911 Turbo S Safety Car and we sat down with Safety Car driver Pedro Couceiro to find out what it’s like to tame a herd of fire-breathing race cars.

 

 

 

Everyone knows “the safety car” as the car with the flashing lights that is being sent out when there’s a problem on track. But I expect your job is a bit more complicated than that.

 

My job is mainly to act on behalf of the race director. I’m his eyes and ears on the track while the race is happening. We work with Yannick Dalmas (Le Mans winner) as the drivers’ advisor to the race director and the three of us are responsible for creating a safe environment for the racers. My main task is of course to drive on the track during a race as soon as there is a problem, or when it’s unsafe to take other measures like a Full Course Yellow.

 

How do you decide between a Full Course Yellow and entering the track in the Safety Car?

 

Usually I have to to enter the track if a problem cannot be solved within two or three laps. Mainly because race cars are very fast and their engine, brakes and tyre temperatures are critical. So instead of enforcing a consistent speed during a Full Course Yellow, I can control the pace and allow the cars to drive a bit faster in some sections, thus the temperatures remain at a healthy level.

 

 

 

Describe the feeling you get when you look in your rearview mirror… and see 15,000 horsepower behind you.

 

It’s surreal. The LMP1 cars look like beasts in your rearview mirror. It is a bit intimidating but the best part is I equally have a very fast car so I can control them and tame the herd a bit. On top of that, after being a racing driver for such a long time, it’s great to get the adrenaline rush of being on track during a race without the stress of worrying about the results (laughs)

 

How do you manage these beasts?

 

They listen to me. They have to and the race director tells me the pace I have to drive and by the end of a safety car period I really have to go full speed to give the cars room and prepare to start racing again.

 

 

 

Tell me about the car ? Is it a standard Porsche 911 Turbo S?

 

No. It started out as a standard Porsche 911 Turbo S but it’s been optimised for this job. That means it’s had a lot of little tweaks to make it perform better on the track. We run different suspension, brakes and tires, a tweaked exhaust and a few electronic systems. The car itself is really fast. On the straights it’s on par with the LMP1 cars. Of course on the corners it’s a different story but having a fast car like this makes my job easier and a lot more fun. I’d say we have a very competitive car for this field (Laughs).

 

What part of this job is the most challenging?

 

Dealing with the track conditions. When you have to intervene, you go out onto the track on cold tires after being in a standby position for maybe an hour or two. After two or three laps, the race director tells me to go flat out. That’s not so easy. Especially when you remember that during a safety car period the track is littered with rubber and debris and we get a lot of pickup (molten rubber from other tires sticking to your tire). So to go flat out in those conditions is quite a challenge.